Some religious stuff

[mindstalk]

Georgia (the US state) governor leads group and prays for rain. Not, of course, performing a rain dance, nor sacrificing to Zeus, or spending money to, I don't know, pump water up into the reservoir.[1]

Greta Christina on the "trendiness" of atheism.

"Atheists just need a Hallmark card.". Later notes that you don't find Christians in the US having to post under pseudonyms, lest their families find out their beliefs and ostracize them, nor expressing concern for their jobs or personal safety.

[1] To be fair, an article like that probably wouldn't tell everything. Apparently Georgia is trying to retain water normally released to Florida and Alabama; of course, that would then just pass on the water shortage.

Sign that the US has a rather privileged place in the Internet: drought.gov.

Comments

[akashiver.livejournal.com]

Later notes that you don't find Christians in the US having to post under pseudonyms, lest their families find out their beliefs and ostracize them, nor expressing concern for their jobs or personal safety.

Well, Christian converts in hardcore Muslim families do, as do Wiccans, Hindu & Buddhists in Christian families etc. It's always hard when you profess beliefs different to those of your surrounding community.

Regarding concern for jobs, though, is it really legal in America to fire someone for being atheist? I would have thought that would have fallen under the category of religious discrimination, which I understand to be illegal everywhere in the States, unlike, say, discrimination based on sexual orientation.

[mindstalk.livejournal.com]

Legal? (http://www.boston.com/news/local/maine/articles/2007/05/04/investigator_finds_reasonable_grounds_for_claim_of_atheism_firing/) Apparently not (http://www.daylightatheism.org/2007/07/a-reply-from-dj-grothe.html). The second link is a brief argument about gays vs. atheists, with the blogger ending with "no, not as bad as gays and we do have legal rights, but that doesn't mean discrimination doesn't exist." I've seen various atheists on the net express fear about coming out at their job, or in a small town; some might be overly paranoid, but I think I've also seen reports of vandalism directed at the newly out, at least.

You've got a point about differing from community; I think the original point was made to mock Christian claims of discrimination and oppression in the US, so there's a context I didn't convey.

[pompe.livejournal.com]

I had no idea atheism was trendy. Maybe it was trendy here in say, 1940. Or 1920.

[mindstalk.livejournal.com]

You haven't heard of the "New Atheism" and the Dawkins Dennett and Harris books, or the Blasphemy Challenge? I wouldn't have thought to call it a trend but certainly there's a visibility and focus which probably hasn't been high in the US since, well, 1920.

googling [atheist fad] gets a bunch of hits.

[pompe.livejournal.com]

I think we need to clarify what we mean if we say atheism is trendy because I don't get any hits in my language for the relevant translation.

Is it trendy on Planet Earth, in the West, on LJ, in the English Speaking world, in North America, in Europe, your country, in my country, or in the state or city where Greta Christina lives? I might be a sloppy reader, but I don't know what she means from reading her blog entry. I know that she's living in SF and from her outfit I guess she's Amro, but she still writes in a language and in a forum which is potentially transnational.

I mean, New Atheism isn't an issue here. Sure, you can find Dennett, Dawkins and Harris, but it isn't like they stirred some particularly intense debate.